Some of us are old enough to remember the 1983 Campbell Conference final between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks. Not many, but some of us.
In that series, the Blackhawks got waxed in the first two games, which prompted Blackhawks coach Orval Tessier to claim that his team needed “a heart transplant.” The Blackhawks lost the next two games and bowed out meekly, and the comment followed Tessier for the rest of his career.
Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet didn’t go quite that far, but he didn’t have much good to say about his team after its 3-2 loss to the Oilers in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series.
“We need five or six guys to get going here,” Tocchet told reporters. “There’s some guys I don’t know if they thought it was the playoffs. We can’t play with 12 guys.
“Some players are playing ‘pause’ hockey. You can’t win if you have five or six passengers.”
Rick Tocchet called out 5-7 Canucks ‘passengers’ after the game. pic.twitter.com/Vag15t5gEy
— JayOnSC (@JayOnSC) May 15, 2024
Even though it was said in the heat of the moment, it was most definitely a calculated risk by Tocchet, one he felt was worth taking and will likely result in a much better effort in Game 5.
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News Summary:
- Vancouver Canucks' Rick Tocchet Takes Calculated Risk with 'Passengers' Call-Out
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.